Pain
by Kage no Koji
Summary: Ronin wonders how he can deal with so much pain in his life. Not just the physical, but the emotional. He lost Tara, and had nothing left. Maybe he'll see the light before it's too late.


_Me: Okay, I saw the movie Epic on opening night and I just have to say... OH MAH FREAKING GOD! HOW DID IT NOT GET GOOD REVIEWS? D: _

_I loved the movie! I can't believe the critics was so hard on it. It was a pretty great movie for being based on a children's book. _

_So, anyway, I decided to create this little one-shot as my way of saying Epic was great. _

_:D_

_Disclaimers: I don't own Epic, or it's characters. x Which is too bad._

**_~Ronin P.O.V~_**

Pain... I always wondered how I could deal with so much. Not just the physical pain that my body had to endure as a Leafman. The sheer emotional and psychological pain that I had always shoved down seemed to bubble back up when I least expected it to. One moment I was sitting on the floor by the pedestal, watching as Nod tried to hold on to MK, the sweet girl, as she was blown away to where she belonged. And then the next moment, I was laying on the floor, gasping for breath as faces swam in and out of my fading vision. I could see Nod yelling, screaming at me to hold on or so help him god he was going to throw me off a cliff. At the moment, falling off a cliff would have been far more preferable to the explosions of pain racking my bruised and thoroughly beaten body. Mandrake... His hit must have gone deeper than I had initially realized. I had thought that only my armor would be damaged, but I had been terribly wrong. The Rot had sunk through my armor and clothes, making it's slow way to my scarred body. It was penetrating me, digging in deep and clawing its way to my very core. I thought I saw Tara... I swear she was hovering above me, stroking my burning cheek and whispering, "It'll be okay Ronin" like she used to when we were kids when I would get sick. I couldn't help the tears that slipped through my eyes as I saw her lovely face, that chocolate-hazelnut skin that was softer than silk. Her big brown eyes, like the fertile soil of the forest after a light rain. How could I have waited so long to tell her that I loved her? I was a fool. A pain ridden fool to think that I could have waited, should have waited! I knew better than anybody that existence is not a guaranteed thing. It is hardly up to us if we should live or die.

Why did I have to wait?

"Ronin! Ronin!" Was that Nod? It must be him... I must have blacked out, because he was shaking me fearfully hard. I was vaguely aware that I was no longer in the grand chamber, surrounded by countless citizens of Moonhaven.

I was in a smaller room, but still amazingly crowded. My armor had been stripped and probably cast away, destroyed so the Rot couldn't spread to anything of major importance, like the structural integrity of Moonhaven. Faces, countless faces, hovered above me. I saw Nod the most, fading in and out as my vision came and went. He was worried... I could tell by the stressed look in his face, the way his jaw tightened and eyes darkened every time he looked at me.

I was aware that I had lost feeling in most of my body. Or, rather unaware, that I had. I couldn't move. It felt like I was tied down with lead, forced to march with it on. This was worse than the first week of Leafman training. And I had thought that was hell then. This was worse. Far, far worse.

A scream escaped my mouth, my jaw coming loose just enough to release a hellish howl of pain. Hands, I could suddenly feel, darted from nowhere to press into my body, holding me down. I was thrashing, screaming, calling out Tara's name. I couldn't take it! It was too much! How could Tara endure such pain with all the grace of a falling petal?

That was Tara I suppose.

"AAAAGGHHH!" I could hear my screams now... My throat felt cracked, as if glass shards were stuck in the delicate tissue and I had been tying to throw them up for the past few hours. Was no one doing anything?! Were they simply trying to make me comfortable, waiting for me to succumb to the Rot and die?

There. A sudden dampness. Someone must have pressed a damp cloth against my brow. It felt so good. It was like ice against my scorching skin. My eyes looked up, trying to find the person responsible...

Tara! It was her! She was standing above me, looking at me with those beautiful eyes of hers. She smiled softly, leaning down to whisper in my ear.

"It'll be alright Ronin. I'm right here." She cooed comfortingly.

She began to fade away, replaced by the ever increasing number of black dots in my vision. I tried to reach out, to grasp her hand and tell her that I loved her.

"It'll be alright. I'll stay by your side Ronin." Her soft voice said, as a wave of darkness overtook me, pressing me into a warm oblivion. I heard Tara's voice one lat time, faint and whispery, but still there, still comforting.

"It'll be alright."

**_~TS Regular P.O.V~_**

**BZZZZT! BZZZZT! **

The buzzing off the camera alarm sent MK into a fitful dash to the computer screens. She had been at a desk, idly sketching out hummingbirds in a sketch book her father had thoughtfully given her from his collection of blanks. It had only been a week since the great battle for the fate of the forest.

And already, MK and Nod had talked about ten different times. MK's father, Professor Bomba, had made the joke that they were crushing on each other. Though MK denied it, she couldn't help but feel giddy whenever Nod came calling. They had kissed after all. And they had shared an adventure that no one else could replicate.

MK practically crashed into the chair, nearly tripping over Ozzie in the process, who was running in a circle. Pushing her disheveled hair out of her face, she clicked the mouse. She grinned when Nod came into view, looking dashing in his Leafman uniform. He seemed a little nervous, but grinned back when he saw MK in the screen.

"Hey!" She greeted happily, scratching Ozzie's head when he jumped into her lap.

"Hey!" Nod greeted back with a cheeky salute. He seemed a little worried, maybe a bit tired.

"So, what's up in the great big forest?" MK questioned, picking up on Nod's nervous feelings.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Flying around, chasing off Boggans, fighting for the future of the world!" Nod joked, waving his arms around for dramatic effect. MK frowned.

"Nod, is something wrong?" She asked, worry clearly coloring her words. Nod sighed and rubbed his face. But he grinned.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that Ronin has been working me like a slave over here! He seems intent on making me a grumpy tired old man just like him. My name's Ronin, I don't like to laugh or smile!" Nod said, scowling and making a rather humorous impression of the older Leafman. MK had to stuff her fist into her mouth as she saw Ronin walk up behind Nod, looking unamused with his impression. Noticing how hard MK was trying to not laugh, Nod froze, looking a little panicked.

"He's right behind me, isn't he?" He asked. MK grinned and pointed. Nod turned around, smiling nervously as he gulped.

"H-hey Ronin!" He greeted with a salute. Ronin only raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner and grabbed the scruff of Nod's armor.

"You can talk to your girlfriend later. We've got a patrol to finish!" He scolded. Nod waved to MK as he was dragged off screen.

"I'll talk to you later MK! Ow! Watch it old man!"

MK could only chuckle to herself as she watched Nod get dragged off by Ronin, who she could hear reprimanding him about staying with the group and screwing around later. She sighed, closing the video camera screen.

~I'm glad you're back Ronin.~ She thought, standing and stretching her limbs. It was about time he woke up and realized that he wasn't the only one with pain.

_Me: Okay! Review please! Please just tell me what you think! I love criticism! I want to make my writing better not just for myself, but for my readers! So REVIIIEEEEEEWWWW!_

_Flames will be used to heat Hell and Axel! :D_


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